CHINO HILLS – Sometimes consistency and not just low scores can win a golf tournament. Rosary learned that lesson Tuesday at Western Hills Country Club.
Despite being the only team in the Rosary Shotgun tournament field to have two players post a score in the 30s on the front nine, the Royals finished second, 10 strokes behind Santiago. Two Rosary players failed to break 50.
But five of the six Shark who teed off on a windy day in Chino Hills finished in the 40s to help Santiago cruise into first with a 211.
Lauren Fisher led the Sharks with a 5-over-par 40, which put her five strokes behind Rosary sophomore Chayse Gomez, who earned medalist honors with an even-par 35. Just three players broke 40. Gomez and Rosary’s Carline Cantlay took second with a 37 followed by Mater Dei’s Macee Aguirre, who carded a 39 to help Mater Dei finish third with a 226.
“Santiago obviously had a very good day. They bunched their scores,” Rosary coach Steve Hiskey said. “But this is exciting for us.”
Winning wasn’t the goal for Hiskey. Posting a CIF-qualifying score was high on the Royals’ to-do list too, and Rosary did that. A qualifying score on a par-35 course like Western Hills is 225, and the Royals carded a 221. It takes six qualifying scores for a team to become CIF postseason eligible.
“I am very pleased with that,” Hiskey said. “This school hasn’t really had a much of a golf tradition, but hopefully we can start to turn that around a little bit. Caroline has got a scholarship (Cal Poly) and Chayse is a player without a doubt.”
The 35 equaled the lowest score that Gomez has ever posted at Western Hills and helped eased the frustration created by the 42 she posted during a match last week.
“I set my mind to a goal. Don’t shoot more than a 37, and I stuck to that goal,” Gomez said.
After posting that dreaded 42, Gomez changed her putting grip and stroke, going back to the one that she has used previously, and needed just 11 putts to get around the front nine on Tuesday. Compare that to the 18 putts she had in last week’s match.
“I was really upset with myself. It was rough, and I thought maybe I should change something,” Gomez said. “And I went back to my original grip and stroke and started making some putts. I am very happy with the way that we played individually and as a team.”
